Technical Field
The present invention relates to a power control apparatus for vehicles, which controls power to be supplied to on-vehicle electric loads including a secondary battery capable of storing therein power supplied from an external power source via a receiving port.
Related Art
In the past, as a power control apparatus for vehicles, an apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2009-248644 has been known, for instance. The power control apparatus described in this publication turns its focus toward plug-in hybrid vehicles. This control apparatus discloses a technique of making a comparison between costs necessary for charging a battery with electric energy produced by a generator which converts rotation energy of an internal combustion engine into electric energy and costs necessary for charging the battery with power supplied from a power supply placed outside of the vehicle. Using this technique, when the vehicle is stopped, either consumption of fuel caused by driving the internal combustion engine or consumption of power from the external power supply, whichever costs less, can be selected for use in the vehicle.
Meanwhile, energy costs, such prices of fuels including gasoline, usually vary from hour to hour. Hence, even when power, which is considered less-cost during a stop of the vehicle during which it is necessary to process a power demand from on-vehicle electrical loads, it is not always true that power cost involved in the process for the actual power supply is inexpensive. In addition, it is frequent that electronic devices, such as an air-conditioner or a navigation system, need to be operated during a stop of the vehicle. In such cases, a conventional apparatus gives consideration to costs only for charging the battery. It is also not always true that the power cost is low as a whole.